I, like many fans, felt a twinge of anxiousness when I saw the reviews for BATMAN v SUPERMAN roll in. Not only was I worried that the film was no good, but should the film not perform, would WB cancel their impending DC Extended Universe? We've seen it happen before with THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2, not to mention the ill-fated GREEN LANTERN film, and we could very well see it happen again. A myriad of bad reviews is usually the first stepping stone to such a fate, and while it's still too early to call it either way, if the Thursday preview night showtimes are any indication, BATMAN v SUPERMAN may be looking at a pretty strong box office haul.

According to Deadline, the film took in $27.7 million on those Thursday night showtimes alone. The outlet went on to compare them to other big comic book films. Take a look at the numbers below!

BATMAN v SUPERMAN - $27.7 million

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON - $27.6 million

AVENGERS - $18.7 million

IRON MAN 3 - $15.6 million

THE DARK KNIGHT - $18.5 million

While each of these films had very different sets of showtimes (ULTRON had 7pm showings, while the first AVENGERS only had midnight showings, for example), they may be a good indication of what to expect this coming weekend. In addition to surpassing all these films, the movie went on to break pre-Easter record for Thursday preview nights. The previous record holder was last year's FURIOUS 7, which took in $15.7 million.

Of course, it's a bit premature to predict what BvS, but things are off to a good start. Had the film been better received by most critics, it'd be easier to judge just how much this behemoth would make. But since that isn't the case, it's a wonder if fans will be scared away by the low Rotten Tomatoes score. This may be the ultimate test as to whether or not characters like Batman and Superman are critic proof.

The true driver of sales is usually good word of mouth, and while critics haven't cared for this, who knows what mainstream audiences will be telling their friends once the weekend is up. The second weekend will definitely be an important indicator for the film. Will BATMAN v SUPERMAN have staying power even if fans aren't thrilled with it (and that's a big if, as most fan response seems to skew positive)? We'll have to wait and see.

What do you take from these numbers? Let us know in the comments down below!

BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE is in theaters now!

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